Conversation on a stairwell
by Phillipe363
Summary: Instead of just leaving a goodbye note Bruce actually tells Selina in person for his plans of leaving as a different conversation plays out in 5x11.


**Hey guys**

**So, here's a new Bruce/Selina fic for the Gotham show and in the recent 5x11 episode, yeah it ended about like I thought it was for Bruce/Selina of them falling out with Bruce leaving Gotham.**

**I wish that the writers had allowed Bruce to tell Selina in person that he was leaving instead of the note just from they missed out on a chance to have a great scene between the two actors.**

**And it avoids Bruce coming off for a jerk by telling Selina goodbye in person. While he did say good bye in person to Alfred and Gordon.**

**One issue I have with the Gotham showrunners over the series is they only put Bruce/Selina together for happy moments before causing pointless melodrama and split them apart five minutes later.**

**I know Batman/Catwoman have an on and off relationship in the comics along with other mediums but there's no reason Gotham writers could have not simply done their own thing with letting Bruce/Selina have a happy ending instead. Gotham does not follow the comics or other mediums in a whole lot of areas anyway.**

**Bruce/Selina is one of the better relationships on the show with actual chemistry. **

**In the show of Bruce not saying good bye to Selina in person I can get why of he probably knew if he did, she is really the only person who would be able to successfully talk Bruce out of going. Which is why he left a note instead.**

**So, this is my version of the stairwell scene from 5x11 between Bruce/Selina and now on with the fic.**

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isolated stairwell in the GCPD building

Bruce dressed in a black turtle neck, and pants with boots and a long black overcoat, is sitting on the steps. His face is grim with weariness in his brown eyes from recent events and from all the past years of hardship since his parents were killed.

Currently thinking over the events of the past few days of Bane's attack on Gotham with the rouge military they all fought against. Jim, Harvey, the GCPD, Riddler, and Penguin along with Selina and him.

Of course, Bane was nothing more than a pawn for the real mastermind behind everything Nyssa al Ghul. Nyssa wanted revenge on him for killing her father, though actually just for the second time when Barbara Kean forced him into killing Ras al Ghul. Which led to Nyssa going after Barbara with taking Jim and her daughter hostage, along with Barbara, though Jim helped recuse them both.

Part of Nyssa's revenge was having Bane seriously injure Alfred and the second part was trying to destroy Gotham City. Given the damage, the helicopters did to various buildings that reduced some to piles of rubble plus just from the past months of everything No Man's Land has caused it's going to take a long while to rebuild Gotham. Easily years, probably even a full decade, if not longer.

The city is permanently scarred by this since there's no going back to way Gotham was before. The scars of these events will leave an impact on Gotham City for generations to come.

Which No Man's Land proved now more than ever Gotham City needs a protector, somebody that is outside of the law because the evil that tried to destroy his home used the very law itself with Protocol 386. And even the criminals Jim has fought hopelessly against for years, despite some success, use the law to escape justice.

Of course, though these events Bruce knows regardless all the training he does have it's not enough to save his city which sadly means leaving Gotham. Also, his encounter with bats earlier has given him an excellent idea for what he shall use to strike terror into criminals.

"Hey B" Selina says warmly while walking up and sitting down beside the sole Wayne heir.

Selina is in worn black pants, a black hooded leather jacket, a lightweight black jacket underneath with the zipper pulled down to the top of her breasts, just enough to be alluring. There are black boots on her feet, along with dark-colored gloves with her metal fingertips, and her whip is strapped to the side of her leg. Selina's curly brown hair reaches down to her shoulders with being spread out as usual. A weariness is in Selina's green eyes as well.

Although for Bruce well Selina's as beautiful regardless of what she looks like or wearing. The woman he loves and while Selina once told him he was interested in her since she's the only girl he knows, that's not true. Never was true, in what feels like another lifetime ago. Bruce knows it does not matter if there are other girls, Selina's the only one.

Selina glances over at Bruce and knows that despite whatever he is wearing, he's always handsome. The only man now that she has ever or ever will love, despite the words not being spoken between them. It's something they both understand because their relationship has never exactly been a typical one.

More of just been "us" as she once said to him when they were struggling to figure things out after the past friend's stage. Selina knows it feels like a lifetime ago and even longer for when they first met in that mansion, now destroyed by Jeremiah. However, being called Bruce's girlfriend does not bother her like it once did, if anything she's proud of it.

Not out of some ego thing for dating the Wayne heir and that matters zero to her, especially when she had to put up with his naïve rich kid inexperience in the world's true darkness. Only secretly, there are times, where she wishes he never did get involved because now Bruce is all too familiar in that darkness. How just like her Bruce is an emotionally jaded survivor. Something she's regrettably had a partial hand in causing when she's hurt him at times emotionally.

Selina is brought out of her thoughts by an all too familiar voice.

"Are you okay?" Bruce asks in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Selina replies turning to him before asking in concern "Bruce, what's wrong? We won."

"Nyssa al Ghul is still out there, and she and Bane were right. All this happened because of me, because they were trying to hurt me and the people I care about" Bruce says guilt-filled.

"Look at me B, it's not your fault. They made their own choices to come destroy our city, that is not your burden to carry despite I know you're going to anyway" Selina says resignedly

"Just like how you carry your burdens" Bruce says pointily.

"I only carry the ones that are my fault" Selina replies blankly.

"And I do the same" Bruce says his face grim "That's why I have to leave."

"Your leaving?" Selina asks in surprise then scoffs "Why am I not surprised."

"Selina, I'm coming back. I'm not leaving forever. I need to get better at what I need to be" Bruce replies sighing.

"I was going to leave with Penguin since I had a target on my back for killing Jeremiah. So, I know I don't have a whole lot of room to talk. And yes, B I figured you would be coming back eventually" Selina says trying to keep a tight rein on her emotions.

"But you don't want me to go because recently despite everything you've been happy, and you feel like with me gone you'll have no one. Because we've been in each other's lives for so long you can't imagine it any other way" Bruce replies his voice cracking.

"Yes" Selina replies emotional.

"There's a part of me that wants to leave Gotham to its own devices and escape" Bruce says.

"If this hell hole is going to just keep taking take more from us, then why stay? I mean sure it's our home, but we can make a new one. Jeeves can be transported to wherever we are. Gordon, Bullock, and the rest of the GCPD have been able to help this city" Selina replies.

"It would be nice, to rebuild ourselves a life somewhere else together," Bruce says wistfully "But we can't. I can't. It took all of us, the whole city to stop the army and Bane. Gotham needs somebody to fight for it so that never happens again."

"And it just has to be you doesn't it?" Selina replies with a bittersweet grin.

"You could always come with me" Bruce suggests.

"Tempting but no. Gotham City is our home no matter what. Despite how much we would like to leave. For right now in our lives this is where I need to be, besides I'm no hero" Selina replies.

Looking at her "I know I don't have any right to ask this, but will you wait for me?" Bruce asks.

"Yes, I'll wait for you" Selina says.

Glancing at each other for a moment as their heart rate increases before leaning in with passionately and eagerly kissing each other. Bruce places an arm around her back as Selina runs her hands along his head with lightly touching the back of it, so to keep her sharp claws pointed upwards.

For the next few minutes, neither one of them breaks away as their make out secession is full of passion, love and trying to savor every second given they both know this will be the last one for a long while. Only Bruce and Selina eventually and reluctantly break apart, partially for air.

"Don't get yourself killed Cat" Bruce says giving a grin.

"You neither B" Selina replies.

Turning Bruce starts walking down the steps into the main GCPD squad room before heading for the exit doors. Every step Bruce takes is one filled with weight and relief knowing that Selina Kyle will wait for him.

A relief of them not parting on bad terms yet again. Knowing his life will not be consumed by darkness. That there is light in his life from the people in it of Jim, Lucius, Alfred, and Selina who are his family. Otherwise, there is no point in fighting if there's no home to return to.

Relief in knowing that Ras al Ghul was wrong, he can have both. A life as Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight his city needs.

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**Hope you all enjoyed that and let me know what you think in a review if you want.**

**Overall for Bruce leaving to go train during the ten-year time skip, is despite how Bruce becomes Batman being one of the show's main selling points, they kind of failed in that area.**

**Really Gotham could have given us or rather done it better since they seemed to be going with Bruce's origin for either pre 1986 Crisis or Earth 1 graphic novels where Bruce became Batman while never leaving Gotham City. Only the writers spent all of five seasons dragging Bruce around in-side plots that did absolutely nothing at times.**

**Like David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne does a wonderful job, but I wish the writing was better.**

**Really, it's not even if they got a longer season 5 or the original planned seven seasons, they didn't do that great of a job from the beginning in my opinion.**

**I do like that Gotham has done is made the villains come before Batman, so Bruce Wayne suits up as a response to them. And not where in most of every other medium it's the other way around or can seem that way.**

**One thing that did annoy me is the wall battle for Gotham was clearly at night during the flash forward of 5x01 but in 5x11 it was in perfect daylight. That is such lazy retconning. **

**I will say overall I did enjoy the 5x11 episode and the character interactions in it. **

**Until next time.**


End file.
